Departmental Procurement

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies have contracts to supply his Department with fish; and when those contracts will end.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are two companies supplying the core-Department with fish. Baxter Storey who already promote the use of MSC fish on DEFRA sites and Aramark. The Baxter Storey contract is due to finish in January 2010 and the Aramark contract in June 2009 unless extensions are granted. Both organisations are committed to the use of sustainable fish supplies.
	Aramark for the month of November, will be running a Sustainable Fish promotional campaign on DEFRA sites. On a particular day, not Friday, they will offer their customers the opportunity to sample, sustainable white fish alternatives to Cod and Haddock, products such as MSC Hake, Coley, Pollock, Pangasius and Hoki. They will ask customers for feedback on the products and once the feedback has been collated they hope to be in a position to remove Cod and Haddock completely. They have already run this campaign at other customer sites where customers voted overwhelmingly to remove Cod and Haddock completely from the menu, having enjoyed the alternatives.

Departmental Procurement

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of cod from the North Sea or Eastern Baltic was procured by his Department in 2006.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information supplied by the catering service providers to the core-Department shows that "approximately 2.5 kilos per week of cod is used". There is only one supplier currently serving cod on one site. The company, Aramark, are proposing to substitute it with alternatives such as MSC Hake, Coley, Pollock, Pangasius and Hoki if a campaign to promote these species of fish from sustainable sources is well received by customers. Trials elsewhere have proved successful.

Ivory

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the international trade in illegal ivory is eradicated.

Joan Ruddock: International commercial trade in ivory has been prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1989 and this is actively enforced by HM Revenue and Customs at our borders and the police service internally. The illegal import or export of ivory can result in a large fine and/or several years imprisonment.
	The UK fully supports efforts undertaken by the CITES community to improve enforcement activity in source and destination markets as well as working to eradicate illegal trade within the UK itself. The UK financially supports two key CITES programmes related to ivory trade; the Monitoring of the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) programmes. These enable the international community to monitor poaching and illegal trade levels so resources can be targeted where they are most needed.

Packaging: EU Law

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 apply to UK companies who sell products which were packaged in  (a) other EU countries which have implemented the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC and  (b) non-EU countries.

Joan Ruddock: Any business which places packaging or packaging materials on the UK market and has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year is obligated under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 to recover and recycle a proportion of the packaging they handle.

Seas and Oceans: EC action

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union, COM(2007) 575 final, whether there are any differences between the Commission's use of the concept of maritime spatial planning and his Department's use of the concept marine spatial planning in the Marine Bill White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We see no substantial differences between the two concepts. Indeed, we agree with the concept within the Integrated Maritime Policy that marine spatial planning is a key tool for improving the sustainable development and restoration of marine and coastal areas. As we set out in the proposals in the Marine Bill White Paper in March 2007, marine planning will clarify our marine objectives and priorities for the future, and direct decision-makers and users towards more efficient, sustainable use and protection of our marine resources.

Pakistan: Elections

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what stage has been reached in the implementation of his Department's financial support for the electoral process in Pakistan, as announced in January; and what implications the current situation in Pakistan has for this programme.

Douglas Alexander: We have approved £3.5 million to support the electoral process in Pakistan, including strengthening the administrative capacity of the Election Commission of Pakistan and supporting civil society work to increase turnout and educate voters. £1.34 million of the £3.5 million has been spent.
	While we welcome President Musharraf's undertaking to hold elections on schedule, we remain deeply concerned about the situation in Pakistan. We have called on President Musharraf to: restore the constitution and create the conditions necessary to guarantee free and fair elections on schedule in January; release all political prisoners, including members of the judiciary and human rights activists; to energetically pursue reconciliation with the political opposition; honour his commitment to step down as Chief of Army Staff and relax restrictions on the media.
	We are keeping our support for elections under review.

Crimes of Violence: Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders released on end of custody licences from each prison in England and Wales since 29th June had been convicted of violence against the person.

David Hanson: This information is available on the Ministry of Justice
	website. The total number of releases by offence group for the first week of the scheme, the remainder of July, and every subsequent month since then. For the period from 29 June to 30 September there have been 1,544 release.
	29 June to 5 July 2007:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/2007-07tables-for-ECL-report.xls
	6 July to 31 July 2007:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-ecl-0707.pdf
	1 August to 31 August 2007:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-ecl-0807.pdf
	1 September to 30 September 2007:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-ecl-0907.pdf
	It is not possible to reliably determine the numbers released in the violence against the person group for individual establishments, which would require checking of the precise offence for each release. Individual case records at every establishment would need to be checked to ensure accuracy, at disproportionate cost.
	Prison service guidance makes it clear that prisoners serving sentences for the most serious types of violence against the person offences are ineligible for release under End of Custody Licence. The list of excluded offences is at Annex A to Prison Service Instruction 42/2007 which is available on the Prison Service website.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of vice-related offences in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many of these have been (i) UK citizens, (ii) EU foreign nationals and (iii) non-EU foreign nationals.

Maria Eagle: There is no specific definition of a 'vice'-related offence, however there are a number of offences which can, in some cases, relate to vice. Information on the number of people proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for these offences in England and Wales from 2001 to 2005 are provided in the following table.
	Information on the nationality of those proceeded against is not held by my Department, and data for 2006 will be available shortly.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for selected sexual offences, England and Wales 2001-2005( 1, 2) 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Kerb-crawling. Sexual Offences Act 1985 Sec 1 916 1,053 956 841 717 775 891 834 760 635 
			 Placing an advertisement relating to prostitution. Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.46. 6 586 420 410 435 5 549 396 376 408 
			 Common prostitute loitering or soliciting for the purpose of prostitution. Street Offences Act 1959 Sec l 3,129 2,909 2,956 2,002 1,376 2,841 2,668 2,627 1,735 1,116 
			  Other offences(3) 147 178 134 162 162 104 133 97 106 97 
			  Total 4,198 4,726 4,466 3,415 2,690 3,725 4,241 3,954 2,977 2,256 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 2-4, 9, 22-24, 27-29, 30, 31, 33A, the Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 5(1), the sexual Offences Act 1985 Sec 2, the sexual Offences Act 2003 SS 14, 47-50, 52, 53, 55, 57-58, 62 and the Vagrancy Act 1824 Sec 3 and 4.

Business: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many business support staff were employed by statutory agencies operating within the Copeland area in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Data is only available for West Cumbria Development Agency (WCDA) staff, which was the main organisation providing support in the Copeland area. According to WCDA, there were 14 people (mainly part-time) who worked on business support for WCDA. Two full-time equivalent staff ran the start-up programme.
	In addition staff at Activ8 Solutions Ltd, the Business Link supplier in Cumbria, will have provided support to businesses in Copeland. The Business Link employed around 50 staff, and approximately eight of these will be attributable to the Copeland area.

Departmental NDPBs

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the  (a) budget and  (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled.

Gareth Thomas: Details of the budgets, remits and chairmen's salaries of the Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's) are published in the Public Bodies Directory 2007 and relate to the position as at 31 March 2007. The Report can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/about/strategy-objectives/annual-spending/page4039.html
	Information on Chairmen's bonuses should be contained in each NDPB's annual report and accounts, which are normally available on the body's website. Alterations to the Department's public bodies announced during the machinery of Government changes in June 2007 are as follows:
	From Cabinet Office to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
	 Executive NDPB
	Local Better Regulation Office
	 Advisory NDPB
	Better Regulation Commission
	From BERR to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
	 Executive NDPB
	British Hallmarking Council
	Design Council
	Research Councils
	Technology Strategy Board
	 Advisory NDPB
	Council for Science and Technology
	 Tribunal NDPBs
	Copyright Tribunal
	 Agencies
	NWML
	UK Intellectual Property Office

Toys and Games: Safety

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to strengthen the regulation of the safety of toys; and what discussions he has had on the subject with the European Commission.

Gareth Thomas: At present we believe that the safety level set out in the Toys Directive and therefore the UK Toy Safety Regulations is appropriate, and that our market surveillance system is robust.
	However, it is appropriate and important that we keep the situation under review. In light of this BERR officials have discussed toy safety with DG Enterprise officials on September 18 and at a special meeting of the General Product Safety Committee on 3 October.
	My Department also held a Toy Safety Summit with interested parties held on 29 October where the revision of the Toy Safety Directive and the Commission's toy safety stock-taking exercise were discussed.

Drugs: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crack houses in Hertfordshire have been closed in the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data is provided on a voluntary basis by Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. According to the CDRP voluntary survey, 10 crack house closures have been issued to date in Hertfordshire, four in 2005-06 and six so far in 2006-07.

Cancer: Consultants

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer specialists were recruited in each year since 2000; how many full time equivalent cancer specialists there were in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: holding answer 12 November 2007
	Figures on recruitment of cancer consultants is not collected centrally but the following table shows the increase in consultants numbers over the previous year.
	
		
			  Number of cancer consultants( 1)  recruited at September each year (by headcount) 
			   Number 
			 2000 166 
			 2001 193 
			 2002 192 
			 2003 256 
			 2004 212 
			 2005 212 
			 2006 118 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent cancer consultants at September each year.
	
		
			  Number of cancer consultants( 1)  at September each year (by full-time equivalent) 
			   Number 
			 2000 3,183 
			 2001 3,331 
			 2002 3,569 
			 2003 3,787 
			 2004 4,005 
			 2005 4,246 
			 2006 4,389 
			 (1) The six main cancer specialists consist of clinical oncology, medical oncology, palliative medicine, haematology, histopathology and clinical radiology.  Source: Information Centre, Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of Table 18, referred to in his Department's evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.

Ann Keen: The Health Department's written evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_080117

Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down table 2.3 on page 16 of his Department's evidence to the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration by expenditure on each type of pressure in each financial year by programme; and how the three per cent. efficiency savings were calculated.

Ben Bradshaw: Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs), as it is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. Table 2.3 in the Department's evidence to the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration provides a central estimate of national health service cost pressures, the cost of individual programmes will depend on local decisions on the implementation of NHS priorities.
	The Department needs to ensure that the best value is secured for the investment in the NHS. The requirement to make 3 per cent. year on year efficiency savings enables the Government to build on the Spending Review 2004 efficiency programme, and was considered to be achievable based on the value for money delivery plans that all Department's were required to submit as part of the current Comprehensive Spending Review.

Influenza: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the level of take-up by pensioners in London of influenza vaccinations in each of the last 12 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Flu vaccine uptake data was collected for the first time on those aged 65 and over from 2000. The percentage of those aged 65 and over who received a flu vaccine in each London primary care trust from 2000, is available in the Library.

Mentally Ill: Death

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in respect of what percentage of deaths occurring in mental health institutions inquests were held in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 13 November 2007
	This information is not collected by the Department.
	Deaths of patients who were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 should be referred to Her Majesty's Coroner (HMC). HMC will hold an inquest where the medical cause of death remains in doubt after a post-mortem examination, or if the cause of death is violent or unnatural or where a death has occurred in such a place as to require an inquest under Section 8 (1) of the Coroner's Act 1988.

Mentally Ill: Death

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to mental health trusts on  (a) procedures to be followed and  (b) inquiries to be made following deaths of patients held under mental health legislation.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 13 November 2007
	The Department issued guidance in 1994 Health Service Guidance (94) 27: Guidance on the discharge of mentally disordered people and their continued care in the community" which details action to be taken following mental health in-patient deaths. This was followed by further guidance in 2005, "Independent investigation of adverse events in mental health services", which updated part of the 1994 guidance.
	This guidance requires strategic health authorities to commission independent investigations. This involves appointing the investigation team, agreeing terms of reference, publishing and distributing the results and agreeing a local action plan following a homicide committed by a person in touch with mental health services.
	The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH) collects data on suicide and sudden unexpected deaths of in-patients and homicides committed by persons in touch with mental health services. NCISH is funded by the National Patient Safety Agency and published its latest report, "Avoidable Deaths", in December 2006. This reviews homicides in England and Wales between April 1999 and December 2003 and on suicides from April 2000 to December 2004.
	The Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) collects data on all detained patient deaths and publishes data on those from non-natural causes in its biennial report. MHAC, under its general remit to keep under review the operation of the Mental Health Act 1983, asks providers to notify it of all deaths of detained patients within three working days.
	MHAC reviews the deaths of patients who have died from non-natural causes to establish whether good practice, as defined in the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, has been followed and whether lessons for future practice and policy need to be learned. This review may include sending a Commissioner to the inquest, which considers the circumstances of the death or arranging a visit to the hospital to consider the issues arising.

Methyl Methacrylate: Health Hazards

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the use of methyl methacrylate in nail bars on health.

Dawn Primarolo: There has been no assessment of the effects of the use of methacrylate in nail bars on health.

Midwives: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual cost to public funds of training a student midwife was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The national benchmark price for pre-registration training for midwifery students in the financial year 2007-08 is £7,838 outside London, £8,230 in outer London and £8,465 for inner London.
	In addition to tuition costs, midwifery trainees are entitled to either a bursary or salary support funding. The average bursary paid for midwifery students in 2006-07 was £6,314.
	Students may be entitled to other payments such as allowances for dependant children and the cost of national health service employees seconded onto midwifery training programmes will include a proportion of their salary costs.

NHS Plus

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on recent developments in NHS Plus services for private sector employers.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is currently establishing five demonstration sites in England for innovative delivery of health and work services to private employers, in particular focusing on small and medium sizes businesses, by providing a £10 million capital fund. A further £10 million capital fund is available for an additional tranche of demonstration sites to enrich the developing good practise in this area. This will both bring benefits to the private sector in the areas in which the demonstration sites are located, and establish good practice from which others can learn.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the multi-professional education and training levy allocated to strategic health authorities in 2006-07 was not spent on workforce development in  (a) cash terms and  (b) as a percentage of overall strategic health authority budgets, broken down by strategic health authority.

Ann Keen: The amounts of the multi-professional education and training (MPET) levy allocated to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in 2006-07 that was not spent on workforce development in cash terms and as a percentage of overall strategic health authority budgets, broken down by strategic health authority are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  SHAs  MPET Budget not spent on workforce in cash terms (£000)  MPET Budget not spent on workforce as a percentage of overall SNA resource budget 
			 North East 9,904 3.4 
			 North West 32,862 4.4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 43,587 7.0 
			 East Midlands 21,602 5.3 
			 West Midlands 46,259 8.7 
			 East of England 32,137 6.8 
			 London 74,717 6.3 
			 South East Coast 27,154 8.1 
			 South Central 33,099 8.5 
			 South West 36,177 7.6 
			 Total 357,496 6.5

NHS: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change in the number of NHS staff directly employed in the NHS he expects to result from the decrease in the percentage of NHS revenue spending being spent on the pay of such staff in 2008-09, as set out in table 2.4 on page 24 of his Department's evidence to the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration.

Ann Keen: The percentage of national health service revenue spending spent on pay is forecast to increase in 2008-09. This is a national estimate and it is a proportion of the overall growing NHS revenue funding, therefore overall expenditure on NHS staff is expected to increase.
	Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts to provide them with funding to deliver local and national priorities. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the change in number of NHS staff employed as workforce planning, and therefore setting the number of staff required to deliver services, is a matter for local NHS organisations to deal with. They are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and will recruit the appropriate number of staff to meet those needs. The Department sees workforce planning as a priority and closely monitors strategic health authority local delivery plans to ensure they will deliver the activity required within the finance envelope. As part of that approach, the Department also expects SHAs to be satisfied that local workforce plans are sufficiently robust to deliver the planned activity.

NHS: Procurement

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations he has included in the list of suppliers on the Framework for External Support in Commissioning.

Ben Bradshaw: The following suppliers have been appointed to the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners:
	Aetna Health Services (UK) Limited;
	AXA PPP Healthcare Administration Services Limited;
	UPA Membership Commissioning Limited;
	CHKS Ltd, trading as Partners In Commissioning;
	Dr. Foster Limited, trading as Dr. Foster Intelligence;
	Health Dialog Services Corporation;
	Humana Europe, Ltd;
	KPMG LLP;
	McKesson Information Solutions UK Limited;
	McKinsey and Company, Inc. United Kingdom;
	Navigant Consulting, Inc;
	Tribal Consulting Limited;
	Unitedhealth Europe Limited; and
	WG Consulting Healthcare Limited, trading as WG Consulting

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much is being top-sliced from primary care trusts in 2007-08, broken down by trust.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department made clear in the national health service operating framework for 2007-08 that strategic health authorities (SHAs) will not generally need to top-slice primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations to the same level as in 2006-07 because of the substantial improvement in the overall financial position of the NHS. However, for 2007-08 a number of PCTs have chosen to lodge resources with their SHA to be included within the SHA's strategic investment fund as a safeguard against any risk associated with the lower financial settlement over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.
	The data showing the value of PCT lodgements in their respective SHA's strategic investment fund has been placed in the Library.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of each sexually transmitted disease were diagnosed in the South Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust area in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in genitor-urinary clinics (GUM) is only available by strategic health authority (SHA). The total number of STIs diagnosed in the East of England SHA since 2004 to 2006, the latest date for which figures are available, which includes West Hertfordshire and North and North East Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) area is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Infection  2004  2005  2006 
			 Primary and secondary syphilis 88 82 80 
			 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 1,223 947 838 
			 Anogenital herpes - first attack 1,518 1,580 1,731 
			 Anogenital warts - first attack 6,588 6,796 6,729 
			 Uncomplicated chlamydia 8,031 8,369 8,300 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of new STIs and other STIs diagnosed in the East of England SHA (2004-2006) 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Total number of new STI diagnoses(1) 29,878 29,858 30,242 
			 Total number of other STI diagnoses(2) 18,018 19,865 20,980 
			 (1) Includes those defined in table 1 and all others. (2) Includes recurrent and follow-up presentations.  Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with several co-infections and each diagnosis will be counted separately. 3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data.  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns 
		
	
	In addition to diagnoses made in GUM clinics, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) has been running since 2003. The number of people diagnosed with chlamydia within the programme in the East of England SHA broken down by individual PCTs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  PCT  2004-07 
			 Bedfordshire 192 
			 Cambridgeshire 70 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 22 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney 78 
			 Luton 222 
			 Mid Essex 11 
			 Norfolk 377 
			 North East Essex 7 
			 Peterborough 33 
			 South East Essex 529 
			 South West Essex 43 
			 Suffolk 574 
			 West Essex 20 
			 West Hertfordshire 18 
			  Notes: 1. The data from the NCSP are for diagnoses made outside of GUM clinics only and include diagnoses made by the Boots pathfinder project. 2. The data available from the NCSP are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed. 3. The data only include those aged 15-24, who have provided a postcode of residence. 4. The data is specific to the following years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, since the NCSP follows the financial year.  Source: The NCSP

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people between the ages of 16 and 18 years have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease in the South Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust area in the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STTs) in genitourinary clinics (GUM) is only available by strategic health authority (SHA). The total number of STIs between the ages of 16 and 19 years of age diagnosed in the East of England SHA since 2004 to 2006, the latest date for which figures are available, which includes West Hertfordshire and North and North East Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) area is given in the table.
	
		
			  Infection  2004  2005  2006 
			 Primary and secondary syphilis 6 6 2 
			 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 276 190 166 
			 Anogenital herpes - first attack 213 228 279 
			 Anogenital warts - first attack 1,189 1,183 1,308 
			 Uncomplicated chlamydia 2,219 2,321 2,111 
			  Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with several co-infections and each diagnosis will be counted separately. 3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 4. Data is not collected for the age range 16-18.   Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns 
		
	
	In addition to diagnoses made in GUM clinics, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme has been running since 2003. The number of people diagnosed with chlamydia within the programme in the East of England SHA broken down by individual PCTs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary Care Trust  2004-2007 
			 Bedfordshire 75 
			 Cambridgeshire 30 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 5 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney 41 
			 Luton 84 
			 Mid Essex (1)— 
			 Norfolk 143 
			 Peterborough 17 
			 South East Essex 214 
			 South West Essex 18 
			 Suffolk 284 
			 West Essex (1)— 
			 West Hertfordshire 5 
			 (1) Cell size of 1 to 4 have been masked to protect deductive disclosure in accordance with ONS guidelines.  Notes: 1. The data from the NCSP are for diagnoses made outside of GUM clinics only and include diagnoses made by the Boots pathfinder project. 2. The data available from the NCSP are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed. 3. The data only include those aged 16-18, who have provided a postcode of residence. 4. The data is specific to the following years 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, since the NCSP follows the financial year.  Source: The National Chlamydia Screening Programme.

Afghanistan: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's personnel are in each province of Afghanistan; what role they are playing in each province; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK employs a broad range of staff in support of the Government of Afghanistan to help develop a stable and secure Afghanistan. Over one hundred civilian staff in Kabul and over thirty staff in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar are employed from across the Government, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Afghanistan drugs inter-departmental unit. Their roles include work in governance, reconstruction and development, and counter narcotics.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on whether a co-ordinator to head international reconstruction and development work in Afghanistan at the UN Security Council should be appointed; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Tom Koenigs is the current special representative to the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan. His remit covers co-ordination of international reconstruction and development work. His contract extends to February 2008 and we, with other UN member states, are discussing a suitable successor.
	The UN's role in co-ordinating the international effort in Afghanistan is very important. The UK is committed to supporting the UN effort, led by a senior UN representative for the long-term.

Afghanistan: United Nations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the replacement of the UN representative in Afghanistan; what discussions he has had with his Security Council counterparts on this issue; when he expects the replacement to be announced; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Tom Koenigs is the current special representative to the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan. His contract extends to February 2008.
	The UN's role in co-ordinating the international effort in Afghanistan is very important. The UK is committed to supporting the UN effort to improve the current levels of international co-ordination, led by a senior UN representative for the long-term. We discuss this with our Security Council counterparts on a regular basis. However, the decision on a replacement is ultimately the decision of the Secretary-General.

Bosnia: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Peace Implementation Council on 31 October on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

David Miliband: The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering board meeting of 30-31 October expressed concern over the continued deterioration of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It judged that responsibility lay with political leaders from both entities who have blocked progress and undermined the political situation with their aggressive rhetoric. The statement expressed full support for completing implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, including efforts to tackle the evident dysfunctionality of state institutions. We were disappointed that Russia chose to dissent over one paragraph, but overall we judge the PIC conclusions to be a strong signal of support for High Representative Lajcak.

British Council: Vetting

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British Council's policy is on conducting Criminal Records Bureau checks on  (a) its employees and  (b) people working on its behalf.

Jim Murphy: The British Council's policy on conducting Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks comply fully with UK law. The British Council has in place a comprehensive child protection policy which all British Council staff and outside consultants or contractors whose responsibilities involve access to children and young people must adhere to.
	 Its employees
	Since the early 1990s, the British Council has asked all newly recruited teachers to sign a child declaration form indicating that they have had no history or background relating to child protection issues that would preclude them from the British Council's employment.
	From January 2005, the British Council has implemented CRB checks on all staff working in the UK whose jobs involve contact with children.
	From January 2007, the British Council has run CRB checks on all teachers recruited in the UK, through its headquarters to work overseas. Where teachers are recruited directly by overseas teaching centres, similar checks are run when available in the relevant country. This is available in six of the 48 countries the British Council have teaching centres. Where no CRB equivalent exists, the British Council will seek information on individuals in their references.
	In addition, the British Council is conducting retrospective CRB checks on all teachers where these have not already been carried out. The British Council expects to complete checks on all teachers:
	that have lived or worked in the UK by the end of 2007;
	that have lived or worked in countries with CRB equivalents by mid-2008; and
	in the remaining 42 countries where no CRB equivalent exists, where at all possible, by the end of 2008.
	 People working on its behalf
	Employment agencies providing the British Council with temporary staff, and companies providing support services, must confirm that their own recruitment practices are consistent with the British Council's child protection policy. For consultants and other temporary staff working in posts designated as having direct contact with children and young people, the British Council must receive confirmation that the individuals concerned have undergone due checks.

Pakistan: Detainees

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to urge the Pakistani authorities to release all non-violent democracy and human rights activists recently arrested, including the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion and Belief, Ms Asma Jahangir and the Director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Mr. I. A. Rehman.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear in a statement to the House on 7 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 130-32, that we condemn the mass detentions of politicians, lawyers and human rights activists, and call for their immediate release. It is vital that the Government of Pakistan acts quickly to restore the constitution, hold free and fair elections on schedule, honour the president's commitment to step down as army chief and lift restrictions on the media.
	Our high commission in Islamabad has raised our concern at the highest levels for the welfare and safety of Asma Jahangir, head of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, I. A. Rehman and all those in detention. Close attention is being paid to their treatment and preparations are under way both bilaterally, and through the EU, to visit or contact as many as possible.
	In parallel, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, met Hina Jilani (Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders) on 8 November to discuss the current situation in Pakistan. They expressed concern about the hundreds of political detainees in Pakistan, including Hina Jilanif's sister, Asma Jahangir.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the number of Pakistani citizens who have been detained by the authorities in Pakistan under the state of emergency.

Kim Howells: It is not possible to put a figure on the number of people detained following the declaration of the State of Emergency. There are various estimates ranging from a few hundred to several thousand. The situation is very fluid. Some of the detainees have been released.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in a statement to the House on 7 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 130-132 that we condemn the mass detentions of politicians, lawyers and human rights activists, and call for their immediate release. It is vital that the Government of Pakistan acts quickly to restore the Constitution, hold free and fair elections on schedule, honour the President's commitment to step down as army chief and lift restrictions on the media.
	Our high commission in Islamabad has raised its concern for the welfare and safety of all those in detention at the highest levels. Close attention is being paid to their treatment and preparations are under way to visit or contact as many as possible.

Parvaiz Aslam Chaudhry

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make representations to the Palestinian authority in the case of Parvaiz Aslam Chaudhry recently arrested in Pakistan.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in a statement to the House on 7 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 130-32, that we condemn the mass detentions of politicians, lawyers and human rights activists, and call for their immediate release. It is vital that the Government of Pakistan acts quickly to restore the constitution, hold free and fair elections on schedule, honour the president's commitment to step down as army chief and lift restrictions on the media.
	Our high commission in Islamabad has raised its concern at the highest levels for the welfare and safety of Parvaiz Aslam Chaudhry and all those in detention. Close attention is being paid to their treatment and preparations are under way, both bilaterally and through the EU, to visit or contact as many as possible

Child Benefit

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of recipients of child benefit draw it from post offices  (a) nationally and  (b) in Oxfordshire.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 14 November 2007
	Around 8 per cent. of all child benefit recipients were paid using a Post Office Card Account (POCA) at August 2007.
	Sub national estimates are not yet available for August 2007. At August 2006 around 5 per cent. of customers in Oxfordshire were paid using a POCA account.

Departmental NDPBs

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) budget and  (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled.

Angela Eagle: The annual budget for the Statistics Commission the Treasury's only NDPB, is £1.35 million. Its remit is "to help ensure that National Statistics are trustworthy and responsive to public needs". The Commission's chairman is Professor David Rhind who is paid £28,000 a year for 60 days work. He receives no bonus but can claim expenses to cover costs incurred while on Commission business.

Terrorism: Aviation

Julian Brazier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of proposals to limit the liability of UK airlines in the event of an airborne terrorist attack involving a UK airline in  (a) British and  (b) foreign airspace.

Kitty Ussher: The Government does not intend to exempt or limit airlines' liability. Aviation is an international business and the best route for issues of aviation liability is through reform of the 1952 Rome Convention in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
	The ICAO is currently working to revise the 1952 Rome Convention on third party liability. The next step is for the ICAO legal committee to consider the latest draft of a convention on unlawful interference. The UK will participate in these discussions when they take place next year.

VAT

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average time for a new applicant to be registered for VAT in the last three month period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The average processing times for VAT registration applications for the latest three-month period is as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Average time taken in days 
			 August 2007 42 
			 September 2007 39 
			 October 2007 28 
		
	
	These latest figures represent an upturn in HMRC performance, and this is an early sign that the improvement measures that are now in place are starting to have an impact. This upturn has taken place against an operational background that continues to present challenges, and alongside the ongoing need to operate pre-registration checks against serious abuse such as Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud.

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities have agreed co-sponsorship arrangements under the Academies Programme.

Jim Knight: The following local authorities have agreed to co-sponsor academies:
	Cheshire County Council;
	Corporation of London;
	Coventry City Council;
	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea;
	Kent County Council;
	Manchester City Council;
	Sunderland City Council;
	Telford and Wrekin Council;
	West Sussex County Council.

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to place academies under local authority oversight; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Academies exemplify the new role of local authorities as commissioners rather than providers of schools. Academies are, in effect, jointly commissioned by the Department and the relevant local authority on a partnership basis. Academies are not maintained by the local authority in the traditional manner, but each Academy has at least one local authority representative on its governing body. My Department has no plans to change these arrangements.

Academies: Special Educational Needs

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will allow local authorities to direct school academies to admit pupils who have a statement of special educational needs.

Jim Knight: Academies are required by their Funding Agreements to admit pupils who have a statement of special educational needs (SEN) in any case where the statement names(1) the Academy. A local authority (LA) must first consult an Academy before naming it on a SEN statement, but the Academy must consent unless admission of the pupil would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children, and no reasonable steps may be made to secure compatibility. In the case of a dispute between a LA and an Academy, either side can ask the Secretary of State to determine whether or not the Academy should be named. That determination is final, subject only to the parents' right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
	The Secretary of State also has the power, again through Funding Agreements, to direct an Academy to admit a named pupil. Academies are independent schools, and we do not believe it would be appropriate for this power to pass to LAs.
	(1) Part 4 of a SEN statement can be used to name the school which the LA believes to be best placed to meet the needs identified in earlier parts of the statement.

Children: Internet

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what arrangements are in place in England for teaching children in school about safe browsing of content on the internet; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 12 November 2007
	Becta has worked closely with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to ensure that the revised secondary curriculum includes references to the teaching of e-safety. This is reflected in the revised level descriptors for each of the key stages. Becta and the QCA have also developed an Internet Proficiency scheme for Key Stage 2 pupils.
	The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) have also developed ThinkUKnow a primary and secondary education programme for schools which focuses on developing safe and responsible behaviours online. This has been delivered to over one million children.
	Becta works closely with local authorities and schools to ensure that there are appropriate measures in place to cover education and training for teachers, leaders and pupils, a safe secure infrastructure, effective policies and monitoring procedures all underpinned by robust standards and frameworks.
	In addition, the Prime Minister has asked clinical psychologist Dr. Tanya Byron to conduct an independent review looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games. The review will consider how all in society, including schools, parents, Government and industry can support children and young people to use the internet safely.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to exam boards on employing people overseas to mark exam papers;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the standard of literacy among overseas markers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Regulatory Authorities issue a code of practice which requires awarding bodies to ensure that candidates' work is marked by suitably experienced and trained examiners. The awarding bodies are responsible for their own selection criteria in recruiting examiners to ensure that they fulfil that remit.

Free School Meals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children claiming free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 November 2007
	The available information showing the proportions of children claiming free school meals who achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Proportion of those claiming achieving 5 GCSE passes free school meals at grades A*-C (Percentage) 
			 2002(final) 23.0 
			 2003 24.4 
			 2004 26.1 
			 2005 29.9 
			 2006 33.0 
			  Source:  National Pupil Database 
		
	
	This information is not available prior to 2002. Information on the numbers of children claiming free school meals and achieving five or more GCSEs is not readily available for all years.
	These figures are compiled from a series of SFRs titled "National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics". The latest published information is for 2005/06 final data and can be found at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/SFR/s000708/index.shtml
	Provisional information for 2007 is scheduled for publication on 27 November in SFR 38/2007 which can be found at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/SFR/s000759/index.shtml.

GCSE: Languages

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations  (a) his Department and  (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has received about grade boundaries for modern language GCSE courses; what steps are being taken in response to those representations; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Lord Dearing's Languages Review, published in March 2007, identified the need to resolve the widely held perception that languages GCSEs are harder than other subjects. The review recognised that there are other reasons pupils do not perform as well in languages as in other subjects, such as the quality of teaching and the motivation of the pupil.
	As a result, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the regulator with responsibility for standards in GCSE, is looking at the issue. In the course of this work the QCA has received several representations from schools about grade boundaries for modern foreign languages. It is currently finalising its response.

Languages: Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what minimum level of qualification is required to teach a modern foreign language in a primary school.

Jim Knight: To teach in a primary school as a qualified teacher it is necessary to have gained qualified teacher status via one of the undergraduate, postgraduate or employment-based routes into teaching. It will be for the head teacher to decide whether a teacher has the necessary knowledge and experience for a particular role in the school.
	The law also allows unqualified teachers to work as 'instructors' when they have a specific skill or knowledge, where a qualified teacher is not available and again where the head teacher is satisfied that this person is able to properly fulfil this role.

Mathematics: Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many qualified  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics and  (c) chemistry teachers there were in maintained schools in England in each year from 1988 to 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of full-time teachers in service in secondary schools by subject of qualification is available from the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS) an occasional sample survey undertaken in the years 1988, 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2007. 2007 figures are expected to be published in early 2008.
	The following table provides the estimated number of full-time secondary school teachers with a post A level qualification in mathematics, physics and chemistry, irrespective of whether they are teaching the subject, in England for the years available.
	
		
			  Number of full-time teachers( 1)  in maintained secondary schools with a post A level qualification in mathematics, physics and chemistry 
			   1988  1992  1996  2002 
			 Mathematics 42,000 38,100 27,100 n/a 
			 Physics 17,600 15,900 10,400 n/a 
			 Chemistry 16,600 15,000 10,700 n/a 
			 n/a - not available (1) Teachers are counted once for each subject in which they have a qualification.  Source:  Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey. 
		
	
	Information for 2002 is not available on the same basis. Figures for the number of teachers teaching each subject area and the level of qualification in that subject are available however and these are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentages  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '—' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority: Conferences

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which London hotels have been used by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority for conferences and off site meetings in each month since May 2007; at what cost; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The London hotels used by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in the months from May this year, and the monthly cost, are shown in the following table. Information on the purpose of each booking could be collected only at disproportionate cost, but a significant number of these events were related to the national consultation on the Secondary Curriculum.
	
		
			  Month 2007  Hotel  Cost (£) 
			 May City Inn Westminster  
			  Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Hilton London Green Park  
			  Holiday Inn Mayfair  
			  Holiday Inn-London Bloomsbury  
			  Hotel Russell  
			  Le Meridien Piccadilly  
			  Millennium Hotel (London Mayfair)  
			  Novotel London Euston  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair  
			  The Washington Mayfair 106,380 
			
			 June Bonnington Hotel London  
			  Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Hilton London Green Park  
			  Holiday Inn Mayfair  
			  Hotel Russell  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair 43,567 
			
			 July Bonnington Hotel London  
			  Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington  
			  Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Hilton London Islington  
			  Holiday Inn Mayfair  
			  Hotel Russell  
			  Langham Hotel  
			  The Cavendish London  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair  
			  The Park Lane Hotel  
			  Thistle Hotel Marble Arch 70,623 
			
			 August Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Holiday Inn Mayfair  
			  Millennium Hotel (London Mayfair)  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair  
			  The Rubens At The Palace Hotel 12,239 
			
			 September Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Hilton London Green Park  
			  Hilton London Islington  
			  Hilton London Metropole  
			  Holiday Inn Mayfair  
			  Millennium Gloucester Hotel  
			  Millennium Hotel (London Mayfair)  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair  
			  The Cumberland Hotel  
			  The Park Lane Hotel 74,919 
			
			 October Flemings Mayfair Hotel  
			  Le Meridien Piccadilly  
			  Radisson Edwardian Marlborough Hotel  
			  Rubens at the Palace  
			  The Chesterfield Mayfair  
			  Thistle Hotel Westminster 18,802 
			
			 Total  326,530

School Leaving

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of additional school places required in each local education authority area if the school leaving age is increased to 18 by 2013.

Jim Knight: The Department has not made detailed projections at a local level demographic changes will vary between local areas, of course, as will the nature of demand from young people, and local authorities will need to use their own projections to plan accordingly.
	The proposed legislation is for the education and training leaving age, not the school leaving age to be raised to 18 years. This will be done in two stages, with the age not being raised to 18 until 2015. We estimate that most of the additional places required will be in FE colleges, not in schools.

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimates he has made of the number of attendance orders which would be issued as a consequence of the raising of the education leaving age to  (a) 17 and  (b) 18 in each year from 2012 to 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: On 5 November we published a document setting out how our proposals to raise the participation age have developed since the consultation, and which aspects require legislation. This explains that enforcement action will be a last resort, but if a young person is not participating once suitable learning provision has been identified for them and appropriate support provided, the local authority will be able to issue an Attendance Notice, specifying precisely the provision the young person must attend and where and when they must do this. We estimate that very few young people will reach the stage of being issued with an Attendance Notice, as the focus of the policy will be on ensuring that there is an engaging and worthwhile learning programme for everyone young person and the right support, including financial support, to help them stay in learning and succeed. The estimates and projections in the Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment (which has been placed in the Library of the House) are being revised to reflect developments in the policy before being published in the Impact Assessment that will accompany the Education and Skills Bill.

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment has been made of the likely economic costs to  (a) individuals and  (b) businesses of raising the education leaving age to 18 in relation to (i) foregone employment income and (ii) additional staff costs; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: No individual will have to give up employment they already have as a result of our plans to raise the participation age to 18 from 2013. The first young people to be affected are currently in Year 6, so will have time to prepare. 16 and 17-year-olds cannot currently work more than 40 hours a week, and we do not propose to change this. An estimate of foregone productivity costs will be included in the Impact Assessment which will be published with the Education and Skills Bill.
	Individuals will not incur additional staff costs. Some businesses may incur additional staffing costs if they choose to employ 18-year-olds, to whom they must pay a higher National Minimum Wage, rather than 16 and 17-year-olds. The estimates in the Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment published alongside the Green Paper (which was placed in the Library of the House) are being revised to reflect developments in the policy and will be published in an Impact Assessment alongside the Education and Skills Bill.

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assumptions underline his estimate of a £10 million cost of annual enforcement in relation to raising the education leaving age to 18; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: An initial regulatory impact assessment was published alongside the "Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16" Green Paper in March. This included estimated costs of £6.7 million to local authorities of enforcing the duty. This was based on the enforcement system set out in the Green Paper and the assumption that it would be used as a very last resort, with the focus of the policy on ensuring that there is an engaging and worthwhile learning programme available for every young person, along with the right support for them to access it successfully. As we said in the Green Paper, we will continue to make sure local authorities are properly resourced to deliver the new requirements.
	The Green Paper proposed that one option for enforcing Attendance Orders would be for an individual, on breach of the terms of such an order to be liable to prosecution. Court costs of £2.5 million and legal aid costs of between £0.25-0.7 million were therefore included in the initial RIA to reflect this. The estimates in the initial RIA are being revised to reflect developments in the policy before being published in an Impact Assessment alongside the Education and Skills Bill.

School Leaving: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of places which will be required at educational establishments in Colchester constituency to cater for those between 16 and 18 years old if the school leaving age is to be raised to 18 years.

Jim Knight: The Department has not made detailed projections at a local level. Demographic changes will vary between local areas, of course, as will the nature of demand from young people, and local authorities will need to use their own projections to plan accordingly.
	The proposed legislation is for the education and training leaving age, not the school leaving age to be raised to 18 years. We estimate that most of the additional places required will be in FE colleges, not in schools.

Schools: Admissions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of surplus places there were in  (a) primary,  (b) middle (where appropriate) and  (c) upper schools in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The latest published data is for January 2006 where there were:
	 (a) 513,738 surplus primary places (including middle deemed primary) representing almost 12 per cent. of total capacity
	 (b) 244,111 surplus secondary places (including middle deemed secondary) representing around 7 per cent. of total capacity.
	We do not collate separate figures for middle schools. They are deemed to be either primary or secondary schools.
	The January 2007 surplus places data will be published later this year.

Schools: Crimes of Violence

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many assaults there were on adults in schools in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2006-07 which led to exclusions, broken down by (i) category of assault and (ii) local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions due to assault against an adult, broken down by local education authority, and covering the academic year 2004-05 has been placed in the House Of Commons Library.
	Data are not collected centrally on the category of assault.
	Data for 2006-07 will be available in June 2008.

Schools: Immigrants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of inward migration on schools in Chipping Barnet constituency over the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: Local authorities are responsible for balancing the demand and supply of school places in their area. They have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places, the needs of the local community are served, and good quality education is provided in a cost effective way.
	The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of school places and the number of pupils on roll via an annual survey. Local authorities also provide area wide forecasts of pupil numbers at primary and secondary levels. The earliest data available is for 2003 and the most recent is for 2007.
	The following table shows the number of school places, pupil numbers and the level of surplus places in Chipping Barnet for the past five years.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Primary  
			 Capacity(1) 8121 8238 8238 8247 8053 
			 NOR(2) 7401 7543 7538 7453 7630 
			 Surplus(3) 720 695 700 794 423 
			  Secondary  
			 Capacity(1) 7447 7460 7460 7460 8020 
			 NOR(2) 7340 7350 7378 7496 7555 
			 Surplus(3) 107 110 82 0 465 
			 (1 )Capacity is the number of school places as at January (2 )NOR relates to the number of pupils on role as at January (3) Surplus relates to the difference between the capacity of a school and the number of pupils on roll

Schools: Parents

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average number of meetings per pupil per year that schools hold with parents or guardians to discuss children's performance;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of schools using email to provide feedback to parents on pupil performance.

Jim Knight: The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 specify that head teachers are responsible for ensuring they send a written report to parents on their children once during the school year, or to the pupil where they are aged 18 or over.
	Many schools are already reporting on a termly basis to parents about their child's progress.
	The Department has just undertaken a survey on parental involvement in children's education. Report writing and analysis is under way. I anticipate the report will be published in spring 2008, and will indicate what proportion of parents have talked about how well their child is doing with teachers at regular events such as parents' evenings, parents meetings or review days arranged by the school.
	Many schools use technology such as email as part of wider school strategies for parental engagement or behaviour. The 'Harnessing Technology in Schools Survey' (National Centre for Social Research/Becta, July 2007) found that
	"although paper messages remained the predominant mode of communication with parents...70 per cent. of primary schools and 86 per cent. of secondary schools used emails to communicate with parents".

Schools: Sports

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the average number of hours spent on school sports per pupil in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each year since 1996-97.

Kevin Brennan: The annual PE and School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04 and collects data relating to participation in PE and School Sport.
	Over the last four years, the percentage of pupils who took part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport each week is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Primary  Secondary  Total 
			 2003/04 52 73 62 
			 2004/05 64 75 69 
			 2005/06 82 78 80 
			 2006/07 91 80 86 
		
	
	Prior to 2003/04, no data was collected relating to the amount of time spent on PE and school sport.

Schools: Standards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools were closed due to poor performance on instruction from Ministers in each year since 1992.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State's power to close a school under section 68 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (and prior to that section 19 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998) has not so far been used. It is a reserve power, applicable only to schools that Ofsted have judged to require special measures, and would only be used in exceptional circumstances.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of secondary schools were oversubscribed for admissions in 2007.

Jim Knight: The school admissions process is coordinated by local authorities in partnership with schools in their area. Information on the number of applications made for secondary school places is not collected centrally.
	The annual survey of school places provides information on the number of schools that are full to capacity or over capacity. Data from the 2007 survey shows there are 1,045 secondary schools with no spare capacity—31 per cent. of all secondary schools in England.

Special Educational Needs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average SATs test scores by special educational needs pupils taught in mainstream schools were in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how any  (a) A-level,  (b) GCSE,  (c) Key Stage 3 SATs and  (d) Key Stage 2 SATs marks were changed as a result of being re-marked, broken down by (i) subject and (ii) examination board in each year since 2001;
	(3)  how many  (a) A-level,  (b) GCSE,  (c) Key Stage 3 SATs and  (d) Key Stage 2 SATs marks were appealed and re-marked in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) subject and (ii) examination board;
	(4)  which are the 200 lowest performing secondary schools in terms of  (a) GCSE results,  (b) value added and  (c) the number of pupils leaving with no GCSE grade A to C passes over the last 10 years;
	(5)  which are the 200 lowest performing primary schools in terms of  (a) SATs results and  (b) value added over the last 10 years;
	(6)  what marks have been required in key stage  (a) 2 and  (b) 3 tests in (i) English and (ii) mathematics to achieve a level (A) 4 and (B) 5 in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what percentage score has been required for a GCSE in mathematics at grade C for each examination board in each year from 1997 to 2007;
	(8)  how many maintained schools have refused to have their pupils take the Key Stage 3 English tests; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  what percentage of the Key Stage 3 literacy tests were marked by overseas markers in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(10)  what his latest estimate is of the number of  (a) maintained and  (b) independent schools which introduced (i) international GCSEs and (ii) the International Baccalaureate in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  how many modular exams for  (a) AS levels and  (b) A2 levels have been re-taken at least once by students in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(12)  how many children took  (a) GCSEs and  (b) A-levels in Tower Hamlets local authority area in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007; and how many of them achieved (A) five or more A* to C GCSEs and (B) better than or equal to one A grade and two B grades at A-level; and if he will make a statement;
	(13)  what proportion of pupils taking GCSEs secured a grade A*-C in both English and mathematics in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement;
	(14)  how many and what proportion of children educated in maintained schools in each inner London education authority achieved at least three A levels at A grade in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement;
	(15)  what proportion of year 11 pupils have taken five or more GCSE examinations in each year from 1990 to 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(16)  if he will list the 20 English schools with the worst GCSE success rates in 2007 on the basis of  (a) five A*-C at GCSE and  (b) five A*-C at GCSE including mathematics and English;
	(17)  if he will list by local authority area all schools which achieved less than 30 per cent. five A*-C in GCSEs including mathematics and English in 2007;
	(18)  which schools in which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils have achieved five A*-C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics in each year since 2002 have been rated as  (a) excellent and  (b) good by Ofsted.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The data required for PQs 163569 and 163570 is not yet published. It will be available from the Library in January 2008.

Specialist Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools are designated high performing specialist schools.

Jim Knight: At re-designation specialist schools that meet certain published criteria are designated high performing specialist schools (HPSS). The published criteria for 2007 were:
	 (a) An overall Grade 1 Ofsted marking or
	 (b) An overall Grade 2 Ofsted marking with a Grade 1 in "Achievement and Standards" or
	 (c) An overall Grade 2 marking and with 60 per cent. or above 5+ A*-C GCSE including English and Maths in the 2006 KS4 results or
	 (d) An overall Grade 2 marking and in top 20 per cent. CVA national ranking and a minimum 35 per cent. 5+ A*-C GCSE including English and Maths in the 2006 KS4 results.
	Since 2005, 393 schools have been designated HPSS. HPSS schools are an important element in our drive to build system wide reform. They have opportunities to take on additional roles working with other schools and the community.
	The published list of HPSS can be viewed at:
	www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/

Teachers: Physical Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many dedicated physical education teachers have  (a) been appointed and  (b) left schools in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many dedicated physical education teachers are employed in England.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of teachers appointed to and leaving schools by subject area is not collected centrally
	The following table provides the number of full-time teachers employed in maintained secondary schools by the highest post A level qualification held in the subjects they teach, including physical education, for November 2002 which is the latest information available.
	
		
			  Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentages  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '—' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Young People: Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16 to 18 year olds were recorded as not being in education, employment or training in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 November 2007
	The following table shows the numbers and proportions of young people of academic age 16 to 18 who were estimated to be not in education, employment or training for each year since 1997.
	
		
			  16-18 year olds not in education, employment of training, end year 1997  to  2006 
			   Number  Proportion ( Percentage) 
			 1997 154,300 8.5 
			 1998 170,300 9.4 
			 1999 144,500 8.1 
			 2000 162,900 9.1 
			 2001 175,900 9.5 
			 2002 180,200 9.5 
			 2003 178,700 9.2 
			 2004 190,000 9.7 
			 2005 217,100 10.9 
			 2006 206,200 10.3 
		
	
	These figures are available in the Statistical First Release (SFR) 22/2007, published by the Department at the following web link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/SFR/s000734/sfr22_2007.pdf.

Business and University Collaboration

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the economic value of collaboration between universities and business over the last 10 years.

Ian Pearson: University business collaboration is an important driver of innovation and one we have in, for example, the Higher Education Innovation Fund and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. It is not practical to put a single number estimate on the economic value of this activity, however Funding Councils collect data from universities through the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey, which shows significant increases over recent years in key measures of collaboration.

Skills

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to improve the global competitiveness of the UK skills base.

Bill Rammell: To succeed in the global economy we must ensure that our work force has world class skills, carry out world class research, and drive innovation in all areas. That is why we are committed becoming a world leader on skills by 2020, and to making real progress towards that ambition by 2011. To support that, Government investment in further education and skills will increase by 7 per cent. in real terms between 2007-08 and 2010-11.

Part-time Students

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision to withdraw funding from institutions for equivalent or lower qualifications students on the part-time educational sector.

Bill Rammell: We have asked the Funding Council to reduce funding for equivalent level qualifications by £100 million by 2010-11. The council is consulting on the how to implement this policy. The entire £100 million sum will be recycled within the higher education sector. Much of it will be available to support part-time provision for those already in the workplace who do not yet have a higher education qualification.

Government Research Establishments

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make a statement on progress made in knowledge transfer between research institutions and industry as part of the EU Lisbon Agenda.

Bill Rammell: A number of initiatives have taken place in line with the Lisbon strategy. For example, the European Competitiveness Council adopted a proposal for an Intellectual Property Charter for Europe in June. This aims to create a level playing for industry and academia across Europe on the processes for IP management and exploitation.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what consultation was undertaken with  (a) Camden council and  (b) local residents on the proposed move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, to central London.

Ian Pearson: The MRC consulted Camden council on three occasions about, the possibility of moving the NIMR to the National Temperance Hospital site on Hampstead Road. To date there has been no formal consultation with Camden council or local residents on the proposals for the move of the NIMR to the site adjacent to the British Library. Should the BLISS consortium (MRC, CRUK, Wellcome Trust and UCL) be successful in acquiring the site, the consultation and planning process would naturally need to be followed.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what the proposed time scale is for the move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, to central London;
	(2)  what progress has been made on the proposed move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, to central London; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has for the future use of the Temperance hospital site; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the most recent estimated cost is of the proposed move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, to central London.

Ian Pearson: A consortium of The Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, The Wellcome Trust and University College London have submitted a bid to purchase a site adjacent to the British Library. Detailed proposals for the move and its cost will be developed once the outcome of this bid is known, including, if necessary, alternative proposals for the future use of the National Temperance hospital site. MRC envisages that the relocation of the National Institute of Medical Research might be completed by 2013.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which organisations are planned to be housed alongside the National Institute for Medical Research in the event of a move to the British Library site; how much each will contribute to set up costs; what floor space area each will occupy; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The MRC, Cancer Research UK, The Wellcome Trust and University College London have created a partnership to build a new international centre for medical research and scientific excellence. Detailed proposals for the scheme, which will include the proposed financial contribution of the current and any future partners, will be developed in 2008.

University of York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what matters he discussed with the university of York during his recent visit to York; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: I very much enjoyed my visit to York university, and the discussions I had with staff and students there. I was able to see how the university is flourishing on the international stage, while at the same time making a real contribution to the local economy and society. I greatly value visits of this kind, because I have made clear that the Government wants those working in the higher education sector and students to contribute towards the making of policy. I also valued the opportunity to speak with students from York university about a range of educational issues, as part of the Government's student listening programme.